Welcome. It’s time to ACT. CONNECT. ENGAGE.

ACE Virtual June Meeting: ‘The Residence’

Join us for a virtual discussion on Kate Andersen Brower’s book, “The Residence,” on Sunday, June 14, at 2:30 p.m. The book reveals daily life in the White House as it is really lived through the voices of the maids, butlers, cooks, florists, doormen, engineers, and others who tend to the needs of the President and First Family from the Kennedys to the Obamas. It’s a fascinating read. Please register here.

Studying Our Roots: The Federalist Papers

What did the Founding Fathers really have in mind for the U.S. Constitution? Join ACE for a month-long study in July of The Federalist Papers, a collection of essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay to promote the ratification of the Constitution, lead by Federalist Papers expert and attorney, Thomas George. Please register here.

Make Illinois a Vote-by-Mail State

Contact your state legislators in the Illinois Senate and House and urge them to pass legislation as soon as possible to make Illinois a vote-by-mail state. Tell them we need it in place by November 3, 2020. Send letters or make phone calls to their local offices, not Springfield, since little is happening at the state capitol with safe distancing and shelter-at-home being the current safe protocol.

There are several reasons to support Vote-by-Mail legislation.

Voting by mail usually sees an uptick in voter participation from both parties, not favoring either one. This is healthy in any democracy.

COVID-19 might re-emerge in the fall and even the threat of a surge in cases will suppress voter turnout for anyone over 60 or with an underlying condition. Fewer judges will necessitate condensing polling sites, resulting in longer lines and/or fewer voters turning out to cast ballots on November 3, 2020. This happened in Milwaukee on April 7th for Wisconsin’s primary. One hundred and eighty polling sites dropped to five, and the lines were very long.

Vote-by-Mail is safe. It took Oregon four years and several revisions in legislation to roll it out, but it is now time-tested and voter fraud is not a weakness in their system. Illinois can study this model and need not re-create the legislative wheel.

Contact your legislators here. Click separately on Illinois House and Illinois Senate, submit your street address, city, and zip code after each click, and you’ll find your state legislator and your state senator, their Springfield offices, email link, and, in most cases, their local district office. Please use their local office address to reach them more easily at this time.

MISSION

We hold our local, state, and federal officials and representatives accountable to be our voices in government and to serve us, their constituents, with integrity and transparency.

We embrace the principles of human rights, inclusion, nonviolence, compassion, and fairness in all of our interactions with others as we work to promote ethical public policy in our government.

We ACT— we march, rally, and protest peacefully with compassion and passion.

We CONNECT—we communicate with our local, state, and federal officials to make our voices heard.

We ENGAGE — we formed smaller teams to study individual issues and inform the larger group. We often partner with other Progressive groups in Naperville and greater Chicago area to build a louder chorus.